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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. ground — crushed
  3. chest — a box
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. ground — the earth
  8. wax — to grow
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. cell — in biology
  11. ground — a position
  12. key — in music
  13. chest — of your body
  14. key — the most important part
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. row — to paddle
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. chest — of your body
  20. cell — a phone
  21. kick — in football
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. key — for a lock
  24. row — a line

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com